


Kathryn's Surprise

by sapphic_phoenix



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23628376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphic_phoenix/pseuds/sapphic_phoenix
Summary: Seeing Kathryn's depression beginning in "Night", Chakotay has prepared a little surprise for her.
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway
Comments: 7
Kudos: 48





	Kathryn's Surprise

It was unusual for Chakotay to be late for duty. Kathryn glanced at the time on the console beside her and drummed her fingers on the armrest of her chair. He was the one who had been adamant that she always show up for duty, even if nothing ever happened in this “Void” they had entered a month ago, but now he was the one absent. She checked the time again. It was almost ten minutes past the hour. Her hand rose towards her commbadge, fiddling with it for a minute before tapping it determinedly. But at that moment, the turbolift behind her swished open and familiar footsteps descended towards her.

“There you are,” she said. “I was starting to wonder if I should send a security team to find you.”

He smiled a dimpled grin at her and held out a padd. “I was just doing some last-minute checks for my latest project.”

She took the padd and activated it. A short message flashed up.

> Clue 1:  
>  An easy one to start with: from the place where we first met,  
>  Retrace our footsteps to find the next clue in this set.

She looked up at him, one eyebrow raised curiously.

“I noticed how being in this Void is getting you down,” he said, leaning closer and lowering his voice, “so I prepared a little surprise for you.”

“What is it?”

“A treasure hunt.”

Both her eyebrows rose. “Seriously?”

He smiled and sauntered over to his chair. “I’ll give you hints if you need them, but I’m sure you can puzzle it out.”

She sighed and shook her head, then looked back at the padd. ‘ _“The place where we first met”? Well, that was right here on the bridge. “Retrace our footsteps”. Where did we go after that?’_

 _He had held the turbolift door for her as she and Paris piled in. The lift was crowded with five people, and she was acutely aware of the tall, strong presence beside her. She kept her eyes on the doors and her arms crossed, trying to ignore the effects he was having on her. ‘_ I am an engaged woman, dammit,’ _she recalled thinking._ ‘And he is supposed to be my prisoner. I cannot seriously be attracted to him.’ _But she was. The ‘lift doors could not open fast enough._

Returning to the present, Kathryn stood up and made her way to the lift, padd in hand. She paused to look back at Chakotay, who was watching her with a smile. She returned it with a crooked smile of her own before stepping into the lift.

She made her way through twisting corridors, smiling at the crewmembers she passed until she came upon a weapons locker. ‘ _This was where we stopped on our way to the transporter room.’_ Nothing in the locker seemed out of place, so she continued on her way. The doors to Transporter Room Two swished open and she glanced around.

“Captain,” the ensign manning the transporter console greeted her. “I’ve been expecting you.” He stepped down towards her and handed her a padd. “Commander Chakotay said to give this to you when you arrived.”

“Thank you, Ensign,” Kathryn said. She activated the padd and read the short message that came up.

> Clue 2:  
>  Your next clue is hiding where we first said, “I love you”,  
>  On that stormy night of Legend where our world was all brand New.

She noted the capitalized words and put two and two together quickly. ‘ _His ancient legend on New Earth_ ,’ she realized. ‘ _But we’re light-years away from there. Oh, wait… his holodeck recreation!’_

“Computer,” she said, “are either of the holodecks active?”

“Affirmative. Holodeck One is currently active.”

“What program is running?”

“Program ‘Chakotay Beta Two’.”

“Thanks again, Ensign,” she said, turning towards the door and walking quickly away.

_“Is that really an ancient legend?” she had asked._

_He chuckled. “No,” he replied. “But that made it easier to say.”_

_Her breath had caught in her throat at the look of pure, unadulterated love she saw in his eyes. She lifted her hand and entwined her fingers with his._

_“I love you too,” she whispered._

_His face lit up with a radiant smile and he squeezed her hand gently._

_“But I would like… to take things slowly,” she said._

_“My dearest Kathryn, we have all the time in the world.”_

_‘Not quite all the time in the world,’_ she mused. _Voyager_ had returned for them eventually, and their relationship had stalled for a while.

She arrived at the holodeck and entered to find herself in a lush green clearing near the grey shelter. She breathed deeply of the artificially-scented air and made her way slowly towards the shelter. When she entered, she saw a folded piece of paper lying on the table. She picked it up and read Chakotay’s sprawling handwriting.

> Clue 3:  
>  Remember the night that you first let me in to your heart  
>  On that beautiful moonlit lake?  
>  When in true Janeway fashion you beat the spectre of death,  
>  I’m sure in his boots he did quake.  
>  The vehicle that brought us to that place of tragedy  
>  Holds the next clue that you need.  
>  And I hope if you find yourself facing off against Death again,  
>  You’ll always come back home to me.

Ah, yes. She remembered that day clearly. Their shuttle had crashed, and she had been injured, and an alien masquerading as her father had attempted to draw her in to his matrix. But she had fought, and she had won, and to celebrate her cheating death, they had spent a beautiful, wonderful hour sailing on a holographic recreation of Lake George. They had dropped anchor in the middle of the lake and sat, with her nestled in his arms, gazing at the stars above them.

_“I hope I never have to go through that again,” he had said. “Watching you fighting for your life, not knowing whether I’ll be able to look into your eyes again and tell you I love you.”_

_She had stiffened at his words. It was the first time since that night on New Earth that either of them had uttered the word “love” to each other. Sensing her sudden tension, he rubbed a hand soothingly on her arm and pressed a kiss to her hair._

_“And I do love you, you know. I hope you haven’t forgotten that.”_

_“I could never forget that,” she had replied. “When the alien made me believe I was dead, I watched you grieve for me. And I wanted to comfort you, and tell you I was there, but I couldn’t. And it pained me to see you hurting so bad.”_

_“Kathryn,” Chakotay had pulled away from her, turning to look at her in the dim moonlight, “do you know what hurts me? Sitting beside you every day, knowing that everything I ever wanted is within reach and not being able to have it. To have you. I love you, Kathryn, and I want to treasure every minute we have together, not spend it pining for each other because of regulations that were written for starships thousands of light-years away.”_

_Kathryn was silent. “When I thought I was dead, I had so many regrets,” she said finally. “I tried so desperately to come back because I needed to see you again. There’s so many things I’ve left unsaid.” Her hand came up to cup his cheek and he leaned into the contact. “I love you. So much. But out here, I can’t afford to lose my objectivity. And I’m scared that if I let you in, I’ll let our romance interfere with my ability to lead this crew. And the crew has to be my first priority.”_

_“I understand that. And I don’t want to demand anything of you that you can’t give me, but can’t you at least make a little room for us? The ship won’t fall apart, and the universe won’t explode, just because Kathryn Janeway makes a little time for romance. I promise.”_

_She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him, deeply and sensually. “I’ll try,” she said._

Lost deep in the memory of that night, Kathryn didn’t notice that her feet had carried her towards the shuttle bay until she found herself standing outside the doors. Entering the cavernous room, she looked around and made her way towards the _Sacajawea_. “The vehicle that brought us to that place of tragedy” the clue had said. She entered the shuttle and began hunting around for the next clue. At last, she noticed another paper note on the helm console and she snatched it up with a triumphant smirk.

> Clue 4:  
>  Remember the day when the crew found out  
>  And we told them the facts that they already knew  
>  And you were afraid of how they’d react  
>  But you found out they only want the best for you.  
>  Go to where we had our first public kiss  
>  And there you will find your next clue.

“I guess this isn’t over yet,” Kathryn muttered. With a resigned sigh, she exited the shuttle and set her course for the mess hall.

 _“Good morning,_ Voyager!” Neelix had exclaimed to the camera. _“And welcome back to my exciting program, keeping you up-to-date with all the ship’s happenings and gossip and keeping that deep space boredom away. Today we have a very special episode, because I have here Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay. Hello, Captain, Commander!”_

_The two had waved at the camera, still uncertain as to what was to make this episode so very special._

_“Now,” Neelix continued, “I have heard some very interesting information from some very reliable sources, that I would like to lay out before you with just one little question. The information is as follows:_

_“One month ago, Commander Chakotay was seen approaching the Captain’s ready room with a flower, an Earth rose. He later emerged without the flower but with the Captain who followed him with a very large smile on her face. They were then observed approaching the holodeck together. What happened in there that left the Captain uncharacteristically cheerful? One week later, Commander Chakotay was seen walking through the halls with a bottle of cider that he took to the Captain’s quarters. In fact, this is the third time that week he was observed entering or leaving the Captain’s quarters in the evening. Is it typical Starfleet procedure for the commanding officers to have dinner together so frequently? I think not! Next, I have it from Crewman Chell himself that he saw Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay holding hands in the turbolift just over a week ago. They broke apart as soon as they saw him, of course, but he swears that he saw physical contact between them in that split second. And last but certainly not least, when I asked the computer for the command team’s location early this morning…” He turned to grin at the two visibly uncomfortable officers. “…they were both in the Captain’s quarters. Now! My one question for you two is…” He paused for dramatic effect. “Are you two dating? Please say yes!”_

_Kathryn had focused on keeping the murder out of her eyes while Chakotay seemed set on tugging his ear clean off his head._

_“Everyone wants you two to be happy,” Neelix continued, “and we have evidence that you two have found that happiness with each other. We only want to hear you say it. Please?”_

_Kathryn and Chakotay glanced at each other. Kathryn rolled her eyes then nodded. “Yes, Neelix, we’re dating.”_

_His squeal of glee nearly deafened her, and cheering was heard from the other crewmembers in the mess hall._

_“I knew it! I knew it!” Neelix stood up and wrapped his arms around the command team. “Oh, I’m so happy for you!”_

_The crew had been all smiles as they wrapped up their interview with Neelix and returned to the bridge._

Kathryn stepped into the busy mess hall and approached the kitchen. “Neelix?”

“Be right with you!” Kathryn waited patiently, examining the alien fruit in a bowl on the counter. Eventually, Neelix appeared from the smoky kitchen. “Captain! What can I do for you?”

“Uh, well, I was wondering if by any chance Chakotay might have left something for me with you. A padd, perhaps?”

“Oh, uh, no. No padds that I remember. But I do have something else for you.” He turned back towards the kitchen and returned with a coffee cup. “I have a very special coffee for you.” He handed her the mug.

It was not her usual black coffee. “It’s not a better-than-coffee substitute, is it?”

“No, it’s not. The crew don’t really seem to like my better-than-coffee substitutes, though I can’t imagine why. But I think you’ll really like this one.” He watched her expectantly.

She steeled herself and took a small sip of the drink. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Caramel latte?”

Neelix said nothing but winked at her and returned to his kitchen.

Another memory stirred in her mind.

_Kathryn stretched lazily and rolled over in bed. The arm she reached out encountered empty space beside her. She opened her eyes and looked around the room. “Chakotay?”_

_Chakotay entered the room with a wooden tray. “Good morning,” he greeted her._

_“What’s this?” She sat up and ran her fingers through her short hair, trying to tame it out of its wild state._

_“Breakfast in bed for the birthday girl.”_

_“It’s my birthday already?”_

_“Yep.” He helped her arrange the pillows behind her back then laid the breakfast tray on her lap. “I made buttermilk pancakes – made not replicated – just the way you like them. And I replicated a special coffee for you.”_

_“Oh?” She raised the cup and inhaled the sweet aroma. She took a sip and closed her eyes as sugary sweetness burst on her tongue. “Mm. Caramel latte.”_

_“And there’s this.” He took his hands out from behind his back and handed her a small, colourful package tied up with a ribbon._

_“Ooh, a present!” She untied the ribbon and tore into the paper. Inside, she found a silver pocket watch._

_“Nineteenth century, mechanical movement,” Chakotay told her, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “It's a replica of the chronometer worn by Captain Cray of the British Navy, His ship was hit by a typhoon in the Pacific. Everyone back in England thought they were killed, but eight months later Cray sailed his ship into London harbour. There wasn't much left of it, a few planks, half a sail, but he got his crew home.”_

_She ran her fingers over the face of the watch, drinking in the sentiment he was showing her. “It’s lovely,” she said. She leaned over to kiss Chakotay’s cheek. “Thank you.”_

_“You deserve it,” he said, returning her smile. “If anyone can get us home, you will.”_

Kathryn drained the rest of the sweet coffee and placed the cup down on the counter. “Thank you, Neelix!” she called into the kitchen.

The trip to her quarters didn’t take long. She went straight into the bedroom and smiled when she saw a padd sitting on the pillow with a pink rose.

> Clue 5:  
>  Your journey will end where our journey began,  
>  And our journey continues with us walking hand-in-hand.

“Finally.” Kathryn tossed the padd back onto the bed and, still clutching the rose, left to return to the bridge.

It seemed a little more crowded than when she had left it earlier. Everyone seemed to be busy at duty stations, but she felt a tension in the air that wasn’t there before.

She came to stand in front of Chakotay’s chair. “This is where our journey began,” she said, “so where’s my prize?”

“Right here.” Chakotay stood up and handed her a very small, velvet box.

She opened it to find a small, silver ring. The shape of the ring was vaguely familiar to her – two hands held out a silver heart, above which was a large crown. “So what…” She looked away from the ring to find that Chakotay was now kneeling in front of her.

“Kathryn Janeway,” he said, “light of my life. Will you marry me?”

Her breath caught. She glanced from his earnest face to the ring and back again. Laughter bubbled up inside her. “Is that what this whole thing was about? You sent me all over the ship just to propose to me?”

He shrugged. “I thought the mystery might cheer you up.”

She grabbed her arm and dragged him to his feet. “Come here, you big beautiful man.” She threw her arms around him and held him close.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” he whispered into her ear. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she said. “A thousand times, yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> The ring is an Irish Claddagh ring in case you're curious.


End file.
